According to the last data released by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat), the total number of passengers transported by air fell by 6% in the European Union in 2009 compared with 2008 reaching 751 million passengers. Although this is the first fall recorded since 2002, total figures also show gradual recovery by the end of the year leading to positive figures by the beginning of year 2010.

Quarterly data published by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat) indicate that air transport has already begun to recover from the effects of the economic crisis. Data from the first part of year 2009 show an  important decrease with passenger numbers falling by 12% in the first quarter of the year, compared with the same quarter of 2008. After this period, there was a gradual improvement throughout 2009, with decrease by 7% in the second quarter, by 5% in the third quarter and by 1% in the fourth quarter of 2009.

In the first quarter of 2010, passenger numbers increased by 2% compared with the first quarter of 2009, despite preliminary data for April 2010 which indicate that the volcanic eruption in Iceland brought a temporary halt to this recovery on air transport, with passenger numbers falling by 18%, compared with April 2009.

Air transport recovery in the European Union in 2009

According to a report put forward by Eurostat entitled "Signs of recovery for air transport in Europe in 2009", the highest decrease on air passengers in 2009 affected intra-EU flights showing 8% less passengers and reaching 318 million passengers. Extra-EU flights decreased by 4% to 271 million and national flights registered a slightly higher decreased with 5% less flights reaching162 million. Total freight and mail transported by air in the EU27 also fell in 2009 compared with 2008, by 12%.

The number of air passengers fell in all Member States except Latvia. The largest decreases in the number of air passengers were recorded in Lithuania (-27%), Estonia (-26%), Slovakia (-25%) and Denmark (-15%).

London/Heathrow was still the EU’s busiest passenger airport, with 66 million passengers handled in 2009, down by 1% compared with 2008. Paris/Charles de Gaulle (58 mn, -5%) and Frankfurt/Main (51 mn, -5%) were the second and third busiest airports, followed by Madrid/Barajas (48 mn, -5%) and Amsterdam/Schiphol (44 mn, -8%).